Artemis Fowl: The Sun Rising
by Lli
Summary: The final installment of my Artemis Fowl: The Desiderata trilogy. After saving the world from vengeful Japanese deities and indulging in a little office romance, our favourite LEP officer, Holly Short, is off to the Americas to investigate Jack the Ripper-esque murders in Mexico City. An AU set after the Eternity Code.
1. Prologue

And here it is! I know, I know, I said the end of August. But then there was a boy and then there was school and then there was work, blah blah blah, you guys know how it goes.

Obviously, this is a continuation of _Artemis Fowl: The Desiderata_ and _Artemis Fowl: Nearing Perfection_ (jeeze, those are long titles). However, there was a shorter story called _Artemis Fowl: Reprieve_ which took place between_ Nearing Perfection_ and ended a few hours before this story begins. It's not essential to have read it but everything will make more sense.

And, that said, without further ado, I present to you the third and final installation of what has turned out to be a re-write of half the AF series, apparently.

Sorry, I lied, two more bits of ado:

Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Artemis Fowl. If I did, I wouldn't be re-writing it.

Acknowledgements: And, of course, many thanks to the indefatigable ilex-ferox for beta-ing one last adventure.

* * *

**Artemis Fowl: The Sun Rising**

"Love, all alike, no season knows, nor clime, nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time." John Donne

**June, 2011, Frond Residence, Haven City**

"Look, Dvalina, I don't want to talk about this anymore." Lili Frond tucked a stray hair behind her ear as she turned away from the screen of her communication console.

"Lili, please, I'm really sorry, I told the judge, didn't I? I was just trying to help." On the screen, the dwarf's face was more remorseful than that of a repenting sinner in a church fresco.

"Help?" Lili flung down the skirt she was folding into her suitcase. "_Help?_ Planting that evidence nearly had Holly arrested! Of all the people to choose – _Holly _– Dana's tits – help – you call that _helping?_"

Dvalina huffed, guilt momentarily forgotten. "Gods, Lili. You were always bloody hung up on her. She is _so_ not interested. When are you going to get over it already? Besides," her voice turned wheedling again, "I thought it might have got you that promotion."

"Yeah, well, you thought wrong." Lili gave the dwarf a look that would have had a magma flare beating a hasty retreat. "And, to be honest, it really does _not _make me feel better that this is some bizarre throw-back to an old jealousy. Get over it yourself. I've been there, done that, and got the Frondamned t-shirt."

"I only wanted to help," Dvalina mumbled again, head down.

Lili sighed, retrieving her skirt from where it had landed on the floor. "I know," she said at last. "I know. But, just – can we just leave it there?" Lili folded the skirt away into her bag. "Dvalina, I need go. I've got a lot to do before my shuttle leaves. I'll call you, okay?"

"Okay," Dvalina echoed, clearly doubtful.

Lili ended the call without another word. Running a hand through her hair, she glared down at her luggage as though half expecting it to start up where Dvalina had left off. When it remained inanimate she sighed again and shook her head. There were three hours to go before her shuttle left and they couldn't pass quickly enough. Three hours and, finally, this would all be nothing but bad memories.


	2. An Exercise in Elliptical Orbiting

So, generally, I write the entire story (or nearly) before I begin publishing it so that wait times between chapters are shorter. Unfortunately, I don't really have the time to do that at the moment so I'm publishing as I go. Therefore, you may have to wait longer than usual for the next chapter. I'll try to keep things reasonable but, as I have little to no time to do necessary things like sleep and eat at the moment, I make no promises. That said, hopefully you guys like it enough to stick with it despite the wait!

As always, this chapter is brought to you by the fabulous beta-ing skills of ilex-ferox.

* * *

**Chapter One: An Exercise in Elliptical Orbiting**

**7:57pm, November 27th, 2013, Mexico City. **

The heat was making Artemis's hair limp. He didn't like it. Rolling his shoulders, he tried to suppress his irritation. There was more to it than just his hair, but that was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Butler glanced up from his newspaper. "Problem, Artemis?"

"No," his charge replied shortly.

"You seem...strained."

"I'm fine."

"Artemis—"

"I said I'm fine, Butler. Is there really nothing to occupy you in current international affairs?" He gestured at the paper.

Butler sighed, folding the paper and putting it down. "What's the matter, Artemis?"

"I just said—"

"Artemis."

The younger man pursed his lips and looked away across the hotel courtyard.

"You're nervous," the enormous bodyguard stated suddenly. His voice betrayed his surprise.

Artemis snorted. "Preposterous," he said. But he wasn't meeting Butler's eye.

"There's nothing to be nervous about, Artemis," Butler continued as if he hadn't heard.

"As I'm well aware. Which is exactly why I am perfectly calm and at ease."

"Now if only you could look the part," Butler replied, fighting to keep a straight face.

Artemis shot his bodyguard a dirty look. "I look fine," he said.

"That French blonde in the corner certainly seems to think so."

Butler enjoyed Artemis's start of surprise.

"You're my bodyguard, Butler, not my matchmaker. My mother has that quite under control, thank you very much," Artemis replied repressively.

"Your mother would appreciate my effort. She's very pretty, Artemis, look at those lovely curls. Why don't you go over there and talk to her?"

"Because I'd so much rather sit here and talk to you," Artemis responded breathily, leaning in, chin in hand, and peering up at Butler through his eyelashes.

Butler raised an eyebrow eloquently. Pouting, the younger man slouched back in his seat, playing idly with the armrest cover.

"Don't sulk, Artemis, it's extremely unattractive."

"Then don't be so aggravating."

"There are plenty of other fish in the sea, Artemis."

"Oh, here we go again."

"The blonde's still watching you."

Artemis waved a hand dismissively. "She's clearly high-maintenance. She returned her drink twice."

"Well, then, you two will have lots in common."

"Et tu, Brute?"

"Tough love, Artemis."

"She could be a terrorist. Or an assassin. She could be here expressly to kidnap, torture, and murder me."

Butler threw his hands up. "Fine. Have it your way then. Pine to death for all I care."

"I am not pining, Butler, I'm making my peace with the situation. I'm just...taking my time about it."

"You can say that again," Butler muttered and picked up his newspaper.

"We have to go soon anyway. The shuttle arrives at nine."

"Yes, and God forbid we be late. How would she ever manage without us for five minutes?"

"Must you be sarcastic, Butler? It's so unbecoming."

"Then we must make quite the pair."

"I hate it when we fight," Artemis heaved a dramatic sigh.

"Then don't be such a pain."

"What would Madame Ko say if she heard you talk to me that way?"

Butler smiled ruefully. "She'd say I'd become too attached to my principal. Which is perfectly true. If I hadn't, I'd save my energy and just let you get on with listening to Joy Division and shooting cocaine into your eyeballs or whatever it is love-struck young people do these days."

"How truly blessed I am to have you," griped Artemis as he followed Butler's lead and rose from his chair. "And I would never subject myself to Joy Division."

"Well, in that case I clearly have nothing to worry about."

They crossed the courtyard in without another word. In fact, it wasn't until they were on the highway heading out of town that Artemis, from the backseat of an outrageously large SUV said, quietly, "Thank you for trying, Butler."

"You're welcome, Artemis," the large man replied.

* * *

Holly didn't want to cry in front of the other passengers. For that reason, she spent most of the shuttle trip in the bathroom.

When she arrived, haggard and red-eyed, in El Dorado, the shuttle terminal was teeming with fairies, even though she had missed the early-morning commuter trains by a good hour or so. However, two people stood out from the crowd. It helped that they were nearly twice the height of everyone else.

"Artemis," she said, overwhelmingly happy to see a familiar face. As her friends came forward to greet her, she threw her arms around Artemis's waist and pressed her face into his tie, squeezing her eyes shut so as not to get tears on the silk. Her arms tightened around him.

Gingerly, Artemis laid a hand on her shoulder, patting it awkwardly. "What?" he mouthed silently to Butler. The other man shrugged, a look of complete bafflement on his face.

Abruptly, Holly drew away. She straightened her jacket and ran a hand through her hair. "Sorry," she said. "I...I just...it's been a really crazy 24 hours. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to attack you."

"That's quite all right," said Artemis, smoothing his shirt and tie.

Holy swallowed and smiled tightly. "Hi, Butler," she said. The big man bent down and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "It's good to see you."

"You too, Holly. It's been too long."

"Yes," she agreed. "Yes, it has." Suddenly, she frowned and stepped back, looking at them as if only just seeing them for the first time. "Wait," she said slowly, "why are you two here? Have you been reading my messages again, Artemis?"

Artemis looked affronted. "I most certainly have not," he replied. "At least...not in this instance. Didn't Root tell you?"

"Didn't Root tell me wh— oh my Frond, _you're _the new recruit?" Her jaw dropped.

Artemis smiled angelically. "Root felt more comfortable making things official."

Holly's mouth moved without making a sound.

"Well, d'Arvit," she said at last and ran a hand through her hair again. She looked exhausted, Artemis thought to himself.

"Here," he said gently, "why don't we take you back to the hotel? You'll love the view."

"Yes...I...yes, that'd be great," she said. She came forward all of a sudden and leaned against him. "I really am glad you're here," she murmured.

"As am I," he said, and smiled a little sadly.

Holly was uncharacteristically quiet as they drove back into the city. Artemis and Butler kept glancing worriedly at each other in the rear view mirror until Holly finally snapped.

"Would you two cut that out and just say whatever it is that's on your mind?"

They shared another look. Holly rolled her eyes.

"You seem a little...despondent," Artemis began.

Holly snorted. "That's one word for it."

"Is something wrong?"

Holly sighed deeply, worrying her lower lip before answering. "Kokoro broke up with me," she said at last.

If Artemis hadn't already been sitting down, he would have fallen over. "Ex_cuse_ me?" he said faintly. "Are you serious?"

She nodded, staring down the headrest in front of her. "Yesterday."

"Is she _insane_?" Artemis asked. "I just spoke with her and stated in no uncertain terms how—"

"I know," she smiled wryly. "I thought you might have said something damning to her but she says you were highly complimentary."

"I was," said Artemis defensively.

"Thank you, that was...kind of you," Holly told him.

"Holly, I don't understand," he said helplessly. "You were so happy." He looked so uncharacteristically lost that Holly felt her heart stutter with an emotion she didn't care to investigate right at that moment.

"We were for a while," Holly agreed. "But things change."

"But, whenever I called, you were always...happy," he repeated, at a loss for another word.

"Well, _you _were calling, weren't you?" she said.

They looked at each other across the expanse of seat between them and, by some silent mutual agreement, decided to leave it at that.


	3. Friends and Relations

As always, three cheers for ilex-ferox!

* * *

**Chapter Two: Friends and Relations**

**10:57, November 27th, 2013, ****Mexico City**.

Artemis had been right: Holly did love the view. Mexico City sprawled out below her in an ever shifting maze of frenetic neon lights. It reminded her of the time she and Artemis had sat on the balcony watching Kyoto, although it was much less peaceful.

Butler, in that stealthy way of his, had disappeared when they first arrived. Artemis had shown her to her room - bigger than the entire apartment she and Kokoro had shared - and, at her request, directed her to the nearest shower.

"The body wash is surprisingly decent," he said, and left her alone.

Holly had tried every single one of the dozen or so bottles and bars she found in the complimentary basket. She wasn't sure what half of them were supposed to do but they made her feel something approaching alive again so she just let herself enjoy the experience.

Wrapped in a fluffy white towel and smelling like a cut-flower competition, she crossed the bedroom and stood at the window, looking out over the view. She contemplated opening the window and flying out across the city until she collapsed somewhere dark and silent, somewhere she could sleep until she forgot everything.

There was a knock at her door. Holly sighed. There would be no sleep, and certainly no silence, for her just yet.

"Come in," she called. She remembered suddenly that she was only wearing a towel. She shrugged. They were all adults now. Maybe one day they'd even start acting like it.

She heard him pause in the doorway before shutting the door and crossing to her. "Butler says to come and eat. He's made waffles."

"What a wonderful man," said Holly, smiling despite her melancholy mood.

"Yes," Artemis agreed. "He certainly has his moments."

They stood quietly for a moment.

Holly looked up at him from the corner of her eye. He was studying the view with unnecessary concentration.

She wondered if she ought to bring up the elephant in the room. Maybe they should talk about it now, sort it out before the rest of their lives got - as she was sure they would - impossibly complicated. Instead, she leaned on Artemis's arm and watched the lights whizz back and forth below them. It was peaceful right now and she needed a little peace.

Artemis looked down at Holly, at the red of her hair against the white of his shirt sleeve. He pressed his eyes shut briefly - as if to imprint the image of what he had just seen onto his eyelids forever - then looked up and away, towards the lights.

* * *

Butler brought her up to speed as she ate, his tone even and calm despite the gruesome events and the fact that every few sentences Artemis would interrupt to add details only he found relevant. Holly nodded along as she chewed, marvelling at Butler's patience. As she listened, she could feel her blood begin to quicken again after so long stagnating behind a desk in Japan.

"Is everything clear?" Artemis asked when Butler was done.

Holly swallowed her mouthful. "Two brothers, Quetzacoatl and Tezcatlipoca, have escaped from a high-security prison cell located in 500 AD. Brutal murders of virgins ensue. Smart money is on Tezcatlipoca because he is a bad-ass who lost a foot during Tailte and replaced it with a chunk of obsidian. Got it."

Artemis frowned. "I'm not sure the severity of the situation has quite sunk in."

"Artemis," Holly waved her fork at him, "there's only so much severity a person can take before severity loses all sense of proportion. These guys are creeps. You'll think up something clever, Butler and I will execute it with unmatchable panache and, after several missteps, we'll bring them to justice. Don't worry so much, Mud Boy, we've got this."

Artemis's frown deepened. Holly put down her fork, a frown of her own beginning to form. Butler watched them through his eyelashes as he pretended to concentrate on his food.

"Artemis, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," the human said briskly. "I just think you're being flippant. Usually violence against women gets you more riled up."

Holly conceded this point with a curt nod. "Yes, alright, I'm being flippant. I'll probably be less so after I've taken a look at the crime scene holos. For now, I'm just glad to be working again. Trying to focus on the positive. Usually you're trying to get me to be more cavalier, not less."

"I just think it's worth bearing in mind that the last time we worked together things didn't go quite to plan."

"Things never go even remotely to plan, Artemis."

"Yes, well, we had a much closer call than usual."

Clarity broke over Holly like a rain cloud. "Don't worry," she said, her voice growing softer. "We'll get through this one."

"I'm not worried," he replied faster than was necessary.

"Of course not," Holly said with heavy skepticism.

Artemis drew himself up to retort but was, as is always the way, interrupted by a sudden banging on the door.

Butler was out of his chair faster than Artemis could turn his head. Holly snatched the closest weapon available – a bread knife – and followed in the bodyguard's wake. Butler, always prepared, already had his Sig trained on the door.

"Oy! I know you're in there! Just open the door already!"

Butler's jaw dropped. "Juliet?" he asked.

"No, it's Britva come for Artemis's head, of course it's me. Now open up before I lose you your security deposit!"

Butler peered through the eyehole and opened the door.

The woman standing, arms akimbo, on the other side of the door was not the girl Holly remembered. Juliet was taller now and nothing but muscle. Her skin had grown darker while her blonde hair grew paler. Only her taste for sparkly clothing remained unchanged.

"Finally!" With no further ado, Juliet stepped across the threshold and threw her arms around her brother's neck.

"Juliet..." Though bemused, Butler returned the embrace. "Juliet, what are you doing here?"

"Visiting my favourite brother, whaddya think?" She stepped back only to turn on Artemis. The Irishman's breath came out in an 'Oof' as she squeezed him. "Both my favourite brothers," she corrected herself and pinched Artemis's cheek with a grin. "You're looking even paler than usua—oh my _God_!" Juliet had caught sight of Holly. Her eyes grew perfectly round.

Following her line of sight, Artemis and Butler also did a double take, but for very different reasons. Holly stood a good metre and a half tall, her ears rounded, her features narrower.

Juliet whirled on Artemis and her brother. "So let me get this straight: not only do you two sneak into Mexico City _without telling me_ but Artemis has a _secret girlfriend_?"

Artemis looked up at the ceiling, clearly asking for patience from a divine presence that seemed intent on ignoring him. "It's not like that, Juliet," he said. "Holly is a...a...colleague."

Holly raised an eyebrow.

"A friend," he amended, catching her eye. "She's helping us with our... with something."

Holly raised her other eyebrow.

"Well, technically, we are helping her."

"Right," said Juliet, skepticism plain on her face.

"Speaking of which, just how did you find out we were in Mexico City?" Artemis raised an eyebrow of his own.

Juliet, still ogling Holly, shrugged, clearly unashamed. "I put a tracking chip in Dom's phone and I've hacked immigration to flag any of his aliases coming into Mexico."

Butler looked horrified. "You bugged my phone and I didn't even notice? I really am getting old."

Juliet chuckled. "Don't worry, there's nothing else on it. Or at least there wasn't two years ago."

"Two years?!" Butler pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Yep!" But by then Juliet had noticed the remains of their late-night feast and was making a bee-line for the food.

"Juliet—" Artemis began. Juliet talked over him.

"What's the deal this time, boys? Smuggling? Art theft? Tell me."

"It's really not something you—"

"Well, I am, so you can quit whining, Arty, and tell me what's going on. I've got two weeks off and I want to spend it with family. Oh! Wait, don't tell me - it's to do with illegal cloning!"

"No!" Artemis sat down at the island, watching Juliet eat. "Juliet—"

"And don't I know you from somewhere?" Juliet waved her fork at Holly. "You look really familiar. You don't wrestle do you?"

"No," said Holly, a small smile on her lips, "no, I don't wrestle."

Juliet stared at her a moment longer, her mouth puckered in concentration. "Well, don't worry, it'll come to me. I never forget a face."

Holly laughed. "It's hard to remember something you've never seen before."

"Oh, I've seen you before. I know I have. Something about...fairies...are you gay?"

"Juli_et_—" Artemis began to admonish her but Holly just laughed.

"Sometimes," she said.

Juliet pulled a face. "I haven't slept with you, have I?"

Artemis looked horrified as Holly laughed even harder. "No, don't worry, we've never slept together. You didn't even really like me when—" Holly froze, her eyes widening with fear. She met Artemis's eyes across the island. He shook his head at her, more in resignation than disbelief.

Juliet put her fork down slowly. "I didn't like you when, Captain?" Then she frowned, realising what she'd said."Captain?" she asked, confused. "Guys, what's going on here?"

Artemis looked at Holly. She pulled a face. He raised his eyebrows expectantly. She shrugged, looking sheepish. He sighed and nodded.

Juliet watched this exchange with disbelief. "What are they doing, Dom?"

"I try not to think about it," her brother replied wearily.

"Juliet," Holly said gently, as she and Artemis finally looked away from each other, "this is going to be a bit of a shock—"

Artemis snorted. Holly shot him a dirty look.

"But don't fight the memories, alright?" Holly turned back to Juliet. "It'll all make sense soon, I promise. Just relax. It will make it easier." And then Holly reverted to her usual self.

Juliet's jaw dropped. "Wha-at! She did _not_ just do that! Ohmi_god_...I—I _know_ you."

Holly nodded. "Yes, you do. You came down into my cell wearing those –"

"Those awful sunglasses," Juliet nodded, chuckling a little. "And then...something big, something dangerous..."

"A troll."

"A troll," Juliet repeated faintly. Her eyes wandered, looking into another time and place. "And a...a...Mulch." She focussed on Holly again. "Mulch was with us when we broke into that American's tower. Where's Mulch?"

Holly smiled. "He's not…well, we're after a serial killer and Mulch isn't really an official LEP agent. He's sort of…on-call. And this isn't really his area of expertise."

"Right, the LEP. Oh, and that loud little man with the rank cigars. What was his name? Root. Got it. Wait," Juliet paused in her recollections, "a serial killer? But why would the LEP be investigating El Destripador?"

Holly frowned. "The Ripper?" she translated.

"Yeah, after, you know, Jack the Ripper. Because it's always girls and they're all cut up and missing their hearts."

"Missing their hearts," Holly echoed.

"Yeah." Juliet looked at the people around her, gauging their expressions of shock. "You're…you're not here for El Destripador, are you?" she asked slowly.

"No," Artemis said. "But the similarities between your Ripper and our murderer are….compelling, to say the least."

Juliet frowned. "Who's your guy been killing if not humans?"

"Young fairies," Holly answered. "Young female fairies have been turning up murdered and, well, missing their hearts, in what were once considered to be places of spiritual power."

Juliet nodded. "Yeah, these girls have all been left in weird places too. Like on old Aztec pyramids or in the middle of intersections or on the tops of buildings and stuff like that. There's been eight so far."

"Eight… and three fairies," Holly mused. "That's eleven. Frond, eleven!"

"Someone's been busy," Butler murmured.

"If it's even the same person," Holly said. "We don't know that it's the same person. These could be completely unrelated." She seemed to be saying this for her own benefit more than anything else. "Eleven!" she muttered under her breath.

But Artemis gave her such a look of disbelief that she relented. "Okay, alright, fine, so that seems unlikely. But what on earth would Tezcatlipoca gain from murdering humans as well as fairies? And why so many?"

"That, my dear Major, is precisely the question," Artemis replied.

Juliet perked up. "_Major_? Oooh, Holly, you got a _promotion_?"


	4. Great Minds

And the plot thickens!  
As always, three cheers for ilex-ferox.

* * *

**Chapter Three: Great Minds**

**5:47 p.m., November 28th, 2013, Mexico City.**

Holly didn't like crowds; she especially didn't like crowds of humans. It didn't matter that, unlike Juliet, she blended into the crowd perfectly; she still didn't like it.

"Would you relax, already?" Juliet had taken Holly by the hand so that she didn't lose the diminutive fairy in the crowd. It was all well and good that Juliet was a head taller than everyone else but that still didn't make picking out one small, dark-haired person from a thousand others any easier. Now she was using their connection to drag the smaller woman through the throngs of people. "You look totally legit. That shape shifting trick is killer. Now come on, the best seats are over here. Hurry, we don't want to end up way in the back."

Holly sighed. How she had let herself get talked into this one she still didn't know.

* * *

Artemis held the LEP-issue tablet in both hands, attempting to line up the crime scene hologram with what he saw before him. The tablet was made of paper-thin Smartglas (yet another of Foaly's patents) and allowed Artemis to bring up the hologram he wanted on screen whilst simultaneously looking through it to the ground below. Not that he needed to. The computer recognised where it was and pinged softly when it had matched the ground in the hologram with the ground below it.

"Does it use some sort of variation on facial recognition software?" Butler asked. "Or does it know the geographical coordinates of the picture?"

"Both, I believe," Artemis murmured, focussing on the non-descript clump of grass and rock in front of him. "Foaly said it has "spatial recognition" built in, but that all LEP crime scene holos come with their coordinates imbedded in the file just in case. I believe he said it was 'idiot proof'," Artemis wrinkled his nose at the implied insult.

Butler shook his head. "I find that every time Foaly says something is idiot proof that something ends up causing a whole lot of trouble."

Artemis smiled. "It's one of the hazards of being so intelligent: we have almost no concept of what it means to be an idiot. Therefore, how can we possibly guarantee that something is proof against them? Stupidity is a vast and varied sea and the nearest we've ever been is the shoreline, from where we have looked out and shuddered."

Butler cocked an eyebrow. "Feeling poetic today are we, Artemis?"

Artemis frowned down at the tablet then out across the horizon. "Yes," he muttered. "Apparently I am."

* * *

The fight they were there to see was, Juliet assured her, the best she'd see in Mexico.

"At least it is now that I'm on vacation," the blonde grinned.

"Who's fighting again?" Holly and Juliet were sitting in the front row, the bleachers behind them filled with fans chanting slogans and throwing various articles of clothing into the ring.

Juliet smiled and pointed to one corner of the makeshift ring. "Up there's Juanita la Encendita. She's the daughter of Bolivia's most famous Cholita, that's the female wrestling group down in La Paz. That's why she's got the ruffly skirt on, that's the Cholita uniform; it's traditional Bolivian dress, so I'm told. Then over there," Juliet gestured to a diminutive figure wearing a sparkling head mask in the other corner, "is Lily Among the Thorns. Now _she_ only showed up a couple of years ago. When she started to fight she was a total pushover but she's really improved. I'd say she's my favourite fighter in el D.F. right now, really inventive style. Oh man, you are so going to love this, Holly. Seriously, the crowds are totally worth it."

* * *

Butler sat on a well-positioned rock and waited. He was good at waiting. It was one of his many talents. He could wait for years if he needed to.

While he waited, he thought. He thought about the thin man scampering around the hillside before him, stumbling over the uneven ground. He thought about his sister wire-tapping his phone just to be able to spend a couple of weeks with him every other year. He thought about Holly and the indecision on her face when she looked at Artemis. He wondered if she knew what she was doing; if she knew the effect she had on his charge; if she would abuse her power over him. He knew it would be tempting to do so. So few things had the power to bring Artemis to his knees and the desire to see him fall could be nearly overpowering at times.

Artemis called out to him and Butler pushed these thoughts away to the back of his mind. He stood up, brushing imaginary dust off his trousers, and went over to where Artemis stood measuring the angles of fading sunlight on the ground.

* * *

Holly had to admit the fight was good. The diminutive Lily was quick on her feet and got under Juanita's guard when the other woman was least expecting it. The crowd loved her, egging her on with screams and chants. A couple of times Holly thought she saw a move she recognised from LEP training - the LEP had, over the millennia, developed its own martial arts style for use against both fairies and the much larger humans, and some of the moves were quite distinctive. She shrugged the thought away. She was sure the woman could have picked them up anywhere.

It wasn't until the fight was over - Lily Among the Thorns having annihilated her opponent - that Holly realised she'd been right all along.

* * *

Butler didn't like this new location. Deserted hilltops, abandoned temples, fine. Busy intersection at dusk?

Not fine.

He was wearing a reflective vest – at which Artemis had raised an extremely judgmental eyebrow – and herded Artemis along as if he were an unruly puppy.

"Car."

"Yes, yes, that's fine."

"No, I mean car coming directly— oh for the love of..." Butler dragged his charge off the road by the back of his jacket. Artemis didn't look up from the Smartglas.

"Don't ruin my coat," he muttered as his fingers flew across the screen, furiously typing equations.

Butler felt the slip stream of the car ruffle his vest.

"I'll ruin more than a coat if you get run over by some young punk out for a ride in his father's Mercedes," Butler warned.

"Well then, see to it that I'm not." His jacket once more free, Artemis wandered back out into the street.

Butler made a choking sound and ran after him.

* * *

"Oh my Frond," Holly whispered, her words lost in the roar of the crowd. "_Lili_."

The wrestler had taken her mask off and was waving it above her head. Underneath, she wore a wide headband, which served the dual purpose of hiding her ears and keeping her bobbed hair out of her eyes. Despite the new hair cut it was undeniably Lili Frond.

"Juliet," Holly tugged on the woman's arm, "Juliet, I know her."

Juliet turned to Holly, frowning. "What? How?"

"She's...she's one of us." Holly gestured to herself.

Juliet grew bug-eyed. "_Seriously_? Oh maaaan, you have to introduce me!"

"I, uh, I don't think—"

"Come on you ha-ave to! She's my _favourite_!" Before Holly could refuse, Juliet was forcing them through the crowd, out towards the exit.

Juliet greeted the bouncer outside the dressing rooms with cries of recognition. They kissed each other's cheeks and Juliet explained the situation in high-speed, slangy Spanish. She had a friend from out of town visiting who knew Lily Among the Thorns from school and you just _have_ to let us in to say hi, Juan Carlos!

The bouncer hemmed and hawed, looking uncertain.

"Tell her a friend from down under is here," said Holly at last. "Let her decide if she wants to see us."

Juan Carlos thought this was a great plan and vanished down the hallway. A few minutes later he came back. Wordlessly, he jerked his thumb back down the way he'd come. With a squeal, Juliet dragged Holly down the hall.

* * *

Artemis didn't get far, however: two steps away from the curb, he tripped over a diminutive pedestrian and fell flat on his face. The Smartglas skidded away from him and was crushed under the tyres of an oncoming car.

"Artemis!"

"Oy! Watch where you're— Artemis?"

"Bloody he— _Mulch_?"

Butler didn't give anyone time to recover but yanked both Artemis and the dwarf back off the road.

As Butler set him down, Mulch brushed dirt off the rather worse-for -wear taco he was clutching in one grubby hand. "Just like you, Mud Boy, to go bowling people over in the middle of their breakfast. The youths of today!"

"Mulch, what are you _doing_ here?" For the second time in as many days Artemis found himself at a loss.

The dwarf shrugged. "I'm here for the annual Clay Cuisine Convention. Clay connoisseurs from around the world are in Mexico city this week for—"

"Clay cuisine?" Butler echoed, unable to stop his face from puckering.

"Exactly," said Mulch, and chucked the remains of the taco into his enormous mouth. "Your turn."

"Investigating a string of murders for the LEP," Artemis summed up with remarkable succinctness.

Mulch waggled his fly-away eyebrows. "Oh ho, do tell! I don't suppose your better half is here too is she?"

Artemis made a moue. "If by that you mean Holly, then yes, she is. At the moment she's attending a wrestling match with Juliet."

"Juliet?" Mulch's face lit up. "I've missed that stinker."

Butler smiled. "And she's missed you."

* * *

"Look, Dvalina, I told— Holly?" Eyes wide, Lili stood frozen in the doorway of her change room.

Holly cocked an eyebrow. "Expecting someone else?"

Lili opened and closed her mouth a few times, then managed, "Well, can you blame me?"

"No," said Holly. "Not at all."

Lili ran a hand through her hair. "You're the last person under the earth I ever expected to see again."

Holly had the decency to look a bit sheepish. "I...Juliet's a really big fan of yours."

"Juliet?" Lili looked past Holly for the first time and gaped for a second. "Frond, a human!"

"No, no," Juliet waved her hands. "It's cool. I'm cool. I know about you guys and your...issues."

Lili and Holly both looked up at Juliet. "Issues?" they echoed, clearly unimpressed.

"Yeah, issues. A hardcore Napoleon complex for starters." Juliet crosses her arms over her chest.

Lili looked at Holly, clearly confused.

"She's Butler's little sister," Holly explained. "Juliet. Remember, from the Fowl siege?"

Lili's mouth made a perfect 'O'. "You mean the one with the awful glittery eye shadow?"

"Hey!"

"Yeah," Holly smiled, "that one."

* * *

Butler, Artemis, and Mulch stood atop a skyscraper, peering down at the city. Behind them a still visible spray of blood splattered the concrete roof.

With one pale finger, Artemis pointed up at the newly-risen moon. "I researched the lunar cycle, and I am convinced that these murders occurred in conjunction with specific lunar phases. See here, the first - which took place on this hilltop - was on the night of the new moon. The next one, if we include the human victims, coincides with the waxing crescent, the third with the quarter moon, the fourth with the waxing gibbous, and so on. The second fairy was the full moon and the third on the following new moon. The fairies seem to be killed at the more portentous nights, those of the full and new moons."

Butler chewed his lip. "So there's a pattern?"

Artemis frowned. "Possibly. Let us say, for now at least, that there _appears_ to be a pattern."

Butler sighed. He preferred things to be black and white.

"Wait," Mulch was now munching on a strip of jerky that he had pulled from the depths of his coat. "Didn't you say there had been eleven deaths so far?"

"Yes. Eight human and three fairy."

"Frond! How come no one was on this case before?"

"The LEP didn't register the human deaths," Artemis pointed out. "Oh dear God," he suddenly and scrambled for his phone.

* * *

"What are you even doing in Mexico?" Lili asked, moving aside to let them come in.

"I'm…" Holly paused, "I'm after a serial killer."

"El Destripador?" Lili frowned. "But that's Mud Man business."

Holly bit her lip. "There have been three fairies found in similar conditions. We think they might be connected."

Lili sat down slowly. "Frond, that's eleven dead."

Holly nodded silently.

"You know," Lili toyed with a mascara bottle on her desk. "I never meant for you to get in trouble."

Juliet looked lost, but Holly understood. "I know. I was in court the day Dvalina testified, I heard her confession."

"I'm…for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

Holly was quiet for a moment. "We all do stupid things for family," she said at last.

Liliy nodded slowly. "My family especially." She looked up at Holly's reflection in her mirror. "Back in the day, before Taillte, they used to sacrifice fairies. They did it just like El Destripador. Virgins with their hearts cut out. How sick is that? Blood rituals, they were called. They were supposed to bring enormous power. But who wants power at that price?"

"Oh D'Arvit," whispered Holly. She jammed her finger down on her communicator as it began to ring. "Artemis! The humans! Oh, this is bad! With the humans it's eleven!"

"Yes, yes, I know. Look, Holly, I've figured it out—"

"That's two away from thirteen!"

"Exactly! And thirteen is a number of enormous power for the people—"

"Not like you crazy humans and your superstitions! Artemis, this is a—"

"Don't you see, Holly, it's a—"

"Ritual," they said in unison.

"Wait," said Holly, frowning down at her communicator. "How did _you_ figure that out?"

Artemis's scoff came through loud and clear. "I'm a genius, remember? What's your excuse?"

"You're rubbing off on me?" Holly grinned.

Artemis chuckled, the sound crackling through the speakers.


	5. Filling a Void

Well, this is unabashed filler. But! The next chapter will be a) more exciting, b) longer, and c) worth the wait (I hope).

As always, thank you to ilex-ferox.

* * *

**Chapter Four: Filling a Void**

**8:33 p.m., November 28th, 2013, Mexico City**

"I want to help."

Holly looked up from her communicator, clearly surprised. "I…"

"Please, Holly. I—just let me help."

"I don't really think that's my decisi—"

"_Please_, Holly. I want to make things right." Lili's face was so earnest that Holly couldn't help herself.

"Ah…Alright. Yes, fine. But it'll have to be off the record. I'd never hear the end of it from Root."

Lili beamed, turning the full power of her beautiful smile on Holly. "Thank you," she said.

Holly bit her lip.

* * *

Artemis, Butler, and Mulch stared out across the street before them, watching the cars whizz by.

"You're coming with us, aren't you." It wasn't a question; it was a resigned statement of fact. As he said it, Artemis tucked his phone away into the inner pocket of his jacket.

Mulch cracked his knuckles, chuckling. "Well, I can hardly let you amateurs go it alone, can I? Just wouldn't be right."

Butler sighed. "We're going to need a bigger suite," he said.

* * *

"Mulch!" Juliet's screech was audible for blocks, despite the heavy traffic.

"Well if it isn't my favourite human!" Mulch opened his arms wide. Juliet pulled up short and made a face.

"I didn't miss you _that_ much, man."

Mulch shook his head. "Nobody understands body odour anymore. It's such an under-appreciated art form."

"I'm not sure that refusing to shower can be considered an art form," Butler mused aloud. Artemis nodded in agreement.

Holly was still having difficulty with Mulch's presence, never mind his smell. She pointed at the dwarf as if still not quite believing what she was seeing. "I…How…Where did you find him?"

"We…ran into each other," Artemis replied evasively.

Mulch snorted. "He means _he_ ran into _me_. And squished my dinner while he was at it, I might add!"

Holly opened her mouth then closed it. Then tried again. "What are you even _doing_ in Mexico City, Mulch?"

The dwarf shrugged once more. "Like I told Brains and Brawn over here, I'm here for the annual Clay Cuisine convention. I go every year. Last year it was in Prague. Now _that's_ a city. The clay there is just to die—"

Holly waved her hands violently. "No, no, stop! That's enough. Not another ode to clay. Please. This day has been weird enough already."

"So I see," said Artemis, glancing at Lili.

"Yeah," Mulch jabbed a thumb in Lili's direction, "what's up with the traitor?"

Lili opened her mouth to protest but Holly got there first. "Seriously, Mulch? _You_ want to talk about criminal history? Are you sure?"

"Point taken."

Artemis was not so easily cowed. "She's not coming with us, is she? How do we know she's trustworthy?"

"Again with the hypocrisy," Holly said, throwing her hands up. "Unless she's in cahoots with a blood-thirsty murderer, I think we're pretty safe. Besides," Holly glared defiantly at her closest friends, "I have a soft spot for criminals. So sue me."

Artemis sighed extravagantly. "We really don't have time for another one of your dalliances, Major."

Lili's ears perked up.

Holly smacked Artemis's arm. "Don't get excited, Mud Man. She's just here to help."

Rubbing his arm, Artemis met Lili's eyes over Holly's shoulder. The elf looked away first. Artemis smiled to himself.

* * *

The suite was, as Butler had feared, getting a bit crowded.

They hadn't been home two minutes before Mulch was emptying the fridge into the largest pan he could find. Juliet and Lili had started an impromptu sparring match on the couch, Artemis had covered the island in the kitchen with papers, slapping any hand that even looked like it might want to tidy them. Across from him, Holly was slurping carrot smoothie while trying to set up a connection to Haven on Artemis's second laptop. Every few minutes they would have a minor spat about who was in whose space. Butler rubbed his temples.

"Ah!" Holly raised her glass in a toast to herself. "Got it! Bleeding firewalls, I tell you..."

No one but Artemis heard her over the racket Juliet and Lili were making. Holly blew her fringe out of her eyes.

"OY!"

No one even paused for breath.

Holly frowned. Artemis raised his eyebrows. She winked and disappeared in a swirl of red and brown. With an ear-splitting screech, a red-tailed hawk took wing above the island.

Juliet and Lili both fell off the couch.

Holly reappeared, perched primly on the edge of her bar stool. "I have to make a call," she said, "if it's all the same to you."

Juliet's mouth flapped uselessly while Lili gaped, one finger pointing silently at Holly.

"Well, now, that's a handy trick," said Mulch, sucking jam off a spoon.

"Thank you," said Holly, and turned on _Squabble_. Root had apparently decided it was safe to let Artemis continue using his pirated fairy communication service than bring him into the LEP's official system. At least that way he could pretend he didn't know the Mud Man had already hacked it.

"Who ya calling?" Mulch waved a spoonful of jam at the laptop. Artemis winced as a gob of it landed dangerously close to the expensive technology.

Holly sighed, the corners of her mouth turning down as she gingerly wiped up the jam with a napkin. "Root. So everyone had better be on their best behaviour." She cocked an eyebrow at Mulch, holding up the dirty napkin in one hand. He beamed at her over his pot of jam.

Root was halfway through a fungus cigar when he answered the call. The cloud of purplish smoke made it look like he was sitting in a fortune teller's den.

"Hi, Commander," said Holly. Artemis watched the corners of her eyes tighten as she fought to keep them from flicking toward Lili or Mulch.

"Major," he answered with all his usual eloquence. "How are you finding the new recruits?"

Holly couldn't help herself. She levelled such a look of disdainful disbelief at her commanding officer that Artemis was surprised Root didn't fire her on the spot. Instead, he chuckled.

"I thought you'd be pleased," he grinned around his cigar. "I hope you two are playing nice."

"Don't worry," Holly deadpanned, "Butler sends us to our rooms if we misbehave."

"Excellent," said Root. "You always did have a problem with authority."

Holly drew herself up to retort, caught Artemis's eye, and then thought better of it. "You're feeling particularly funny today, aren't you, sir?"

"If I couldn't have the odd laugh at the expense of you and your Mud Man, Short, life wouldn't be half as much fun." He sucked on his cigar thoughtfully, "Do you remember that time in Russia when you broke his—"

"Is this really the time, Commander?" Artemis got off his stool and came around to stand next to Holly. "Haven't we got more important things to discuss?"

Root grinned rather nastily. "I was wondering when you'd grace us with your presence, Fowl. You have to admit, though, Short, his expression was priceless."

Holly, who had been staring off into space with a smile on her face, nodded.

Artemis elbowed her in the ribs.

Looking completely unimpressed by his attempt at physical abuse, Holly rejoined the present a moment too late. Before she could stop him, Mulch leaned over her to wave at the screen.

"Hey, Julius! How's it hanging? Still smoking, huh? I tell you, those things are gonna kill you one day."

Root clamped down on his cigar so violently that he nearly bit it in two.

"I _gave_ you your humans, Short," he ground out, the words barely squeezing between his teeth and his cigar. "Did you really need the dwarf too?"

Holly shot Mulch a look so filthy it made the dwarf look freshly-washed. "Sir, I didn't—"

"Aw, now don't be like that, Julius—"

"I told you, don't call me Julius!"

"But we're old pals—"

"We are nothing of the sort, Convict! When I get my hands on you—"

Holly and Artemis shared a look. Artemis rolled his eyes. Holly gestured at the kettle with her chin and raised her eyebrows. He shrugged and went to make tea.

"That is so weird," Juliet whispered.

"Tell me about it," Lili nodded.

Butler, watching from a distance, only intervened when Artemis nearly blew the fuse trying to plug the kettle in.


End file.
